Tony grumbled, seeing red flash through his eyelids. He muttered a curse and frantically searched for his blanket, which was no where in his reach.
"Damn it, Steve." He muttered bitterly, opening one eye. He frowned in confusion as he looked around the bed room, or rather the living room.
"Wha-" He was suddenly caught off by the sight of Clint, walking towards him and handing him a brewing cup of black coffee.
"Morning, Tony." Clint greeted, giving a small smile as he settled himself on a armchair, clearing his throat as he began to read the newspaper.
Tony stared dumbfounded at him for a few moments. What the fuck?
Suddenly the memories of the last two days flooded his mind like a hurricane. Tony gave a shaky sigh, remembering he's now living with Clint. "Sorry.." Tony mumbled, sipping his coffee.
He heard a chuckle come from the other man's mouth as he let out a satisfied sigh. Tony narrowed his eyes at him playfully. "What? I like coffee." Was his defense. He suddenly furrowed his eyes in confusion, seeing a sad smile come across Clint's features.
"It's still hard for me…" The man confessed, clutching a little tighter on the newspaper. Tony nodded, understanding.
"It does for the both of us. It was sudden, and we both had to find out the hard way."
Clint frowned. "It must've been harder for you…since you.. caught them…" he trailed off, not wanting to upset the man.
Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It did. And I'm still hurt… but then again, a lot of misfortunes happened to me." He stated, pointing to his arc reactor as an example.
Clint shook his head, disagreeing with the man. "The arc reactor, well it must've been like hell when you had live surgery and the palladium poisoning, but overall it's made you a better man. It makes you different, unique. And unique is.. Unique is good."
Tony almost choked on his coffee.
"Uh- I- Thanks.." he replied, avoiding eye contact. The next few minutes were met with uncomfortable silence.
"Y-you're unique too!" Tony blurted out, only to turn redder by the second. Clint gave an amused grin and stood up from his spot.
"How?" He asked, plopping next to the man.
Tony tapped on his chin for a few minutes, deep in thinking. "I've never seen a man that good in archery. And it's the first time I've ever seen a guy pull off sleeveless leather vests."
Clint snorted, causing Tony to grin.
"And you're different from other assassins I've known. Most have emotionless masks and are stoic.." Tony continued. "But you're.. you drop the mask once you're out of the field. Back to your caring, loving self. You smile and laugh so much that, sometimes I forget you're an assassin."
Clint furrowed his eyebrows. "Then what do you think of me as?" Tony turned to face him and smiled gently. "I think of you as Clint Barton, my friend."
Clint widened in eyes in shock, but slowly formed a huge grin. Tony smiled wider, staring at him.
Suddenly both their heads shot up at the sound of the elevator ding. Their confused gazes quickly changed to sad smiles as Bruce, Thor, Pepper and Phil walked out of the elevators, all having concerned faces.
Pepper was the first to run over them, engulfing Tony in a tight hug. "Oh my gosh, Tony, I'm so sorry, we just found out today." Phil came behind Clint and rubbed his back soothingly. "We're so sorry, we really are." Tony patted Pepper on the back. "It's okay, Pep. We're .. we're fine. It's alright." He managed to say.
Bruce sat on the other side of Tony and laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's never alright to be cheated on, Tony. And you too Clint. God, I really want to have a few words to those two, as the Hulk."
Thor gave an agreed grunt. "Aye. It was not right for them to treat friend Anthony and friend Clinton like this. We should have.. As midgardians call it, revenge!"
Clint and Tony both shook their heads. "No, Thor. It's okay. Things like this happen, people don't tend to keep their relationships forever." Tony said.
"But that doesn't make it excusable for them to cheat on you two!" Pepper argued, tightening her grip on Tony. "Why are you sticking up for them, Tony?"Tony eyed Clint, who gave a small shrug. "I guess, it's because.. Well, maybe we made them loose feelings?" Everyone else in the room gave unpleasant groans.
"You two are both very handsome and amazing guys that any one would be lucky to have." Bruce stated, staring at the two.
"Tis true, shield brothers. You two are one of the best midgardians I've came across." Thor boomed, grinning.
Clint snorted, while Tony gave out a sheepish grin.
"It's true. You're one of the best agents in the agency, Clint. Not only that, but you're also been a great addition to our team, Tony." Phil confessed, smiling.
"And if Natasha and Steve can't see that, to hell with them." Pepper confirmed, earning soft chuckles from the rest.
"wait.." Tony said, getting everyone's attentions. "How'd you guys find out about the break up?"
"We caught Natasha and Steve making out in the gym." Bruce said, pushing his glasses higher. "We confronted them and Steve said that he broke up with you and that Nat broke up with Clint."
"They didn't tell us anything after that, though." Phil commented, sighing. "So we had to find out from Jarvis. Jarvis was very happy to tell us what happened, and also gave us a suggested idea that we all…err.. Take revenge on Steve and Natasha."
Tony let out a laugh, covering his mouth to stop himself from giggling. "Jarvis said that?"
"Well," Pepper said, grinning. "He didn't exactly say that. What I believe he told us was that he was more than willing to safe proof the tower if Bruce decided the hulk should make an appearance."
"Thanks Jarvis!" Tony called out, grinning at the nearby camera. "My pleasure, sir. The offer is still standing, may I remind you all." The AI replied, his voice smug.
Everyone in the room laughed, the tension finally gone. The next few hours was all 6 of them lounging around the living room, watching TV and playing board games.
"Thor, for the last time…" Clint muttered, his voice showing annoyance. "You are not really in jail. It's monopoly."
Thor slowly set down mjolnir on the ground beside him, still narrowing his eyes at the man. "Very well."
Tony and Phil were sitting comfortably on the couch, watching a re run of super nanny. "Damn you agent, I feel like buying the whole season now.." Tony muttered, earning a smirk from the other man.
Pepper and Bruce were sitting across from each other on the kitchen table, both having steaming cups of tea. "Do you think we should let Clint and Tony take a small break from the Avengers?" Pepper asked, turning her gaze towards the two who were occupied with their activities.
Bruce raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Pepper set down her mug and locked her hands together, setting them of the table. "I mean, the breakup was really hard for the both of them. Maybe we should excuse them for awhile? Maybe take a little vacation to ease the pain?"
Bruce nodded thoughtfully, agreeing. "Maybe. There hasn't been a real threat, and both Tony and Clint have no planned assignments or missions from SHIELD. Probably give them, two weeks at the most?"
"I think that's a very good idea." Pepper smiled. "They deserve a break from all the stress. Now if you'll excuse me," She said, getting up. "I'll be arranging a flight for them to take within the week."
Bruce looked over to the two, frowning. He felt a sudden urge to turn into the Hulk and 'accidently' wander off to Natasha and Steve's floor. It could work, he has Jarvis on his side.
"No… I cant.." He muttered, sipping the tea.
The rest of the evening came sooner than expected. "Where does the time go?" Tony muttered, frowning as Pepper and Phil grabbed their stuff. "Do you reaaally have to go?" He whined.
Pepper gave a apologetic smile as she gave Tony a tight hug. "I have to run your company, Tony. Remember, we still have to have our press conference."
Tony gave an unamused noise. "Fineee."
Phil gave a small hug to Clint, patting his back. "Stay strong, agent." Phil said, comforting the man. Clint gave a soft smile, nodding. "Will do, Phil."
Bruce patted both men on the back as he walked over to Phil and Pepper. "I'm sorry to say I have to go, too. I have to finish my research in my lab."
Thor wrapped both arms around Clint and Tony, crushing them in a tight hug. "I apologize, also, Shield brothers. I must go and face time with the Lady Jane. I am still grateful for you to show me your midgardian technology, friend Anthony."
"Not…a….problem…" Tony gasped out. Thor gave a confused look at him before turning to Clint, who looked like he was about to pass out. Thor eventually let go(which was a blessing to Tony and Clint) and joined the other three by the elevator.
"Oh!" Phil called out. "Before I forget, Avengers meeting tomorrow." He said, earning groans from the two other men. Phil frowned at the misunderstanding.
"Don't worry, you don't have to go to the debriefing, just come around noon and I'll fill in what you two missed." He reassured, knowing the last thing they need is to see their ex's.
Clint smiled. "Thanks Phil." He called out before the elevator doors closed.
Suddenly the room went back to uncomfortable silence, leaving only two of them on the floor.
"So.." Clint started to say. "Do you wanna… clean all this?"
Tony slowly turned around and eyed the room, noticing the empty cups and board games lying around their shared floor. "Looks like hard work. I mean, truth be told I really hate to clean, but I had to do it since I was living with Captain clean freak."
Clint laughed. "Really? No way! Natasha ALWAYS bugged me about the mess I made on our floor. Pick this up, throw that away. It was so annoying."
Tony smirked and jumped to the couch, putting his hands under his head. "Well, I guess there's one good thing to this."
Clint chuckled and sat on the other end of the couch, pushing Tony's legs away. Tony whined, trying to push the archer off the couch. He gave up and ended up laying his feet on the man's lap. Clint gave a small smile, not arguing.
"….One good thing.." Tony thought aloud. He quickly covered his mouth after realization hit him. He turned to Clint who looked back with a sad smile.
"It's okay, Tony." Clint reassured him. "We'll be alright." Tony stared at him before grabbing the couch pillow and pulling it towards his chest. "Will we?" he asked, burying his face on the soft lump.
Clint looked hesitant for a moment, before nodding. "Yes. Because we're in this together."
Tony gave a weak smile. "I trust you." Clint smiled back. "And I trust you."
The rest of the night was them laying in comfortable silence, slowly falling to sleep as only the sounds of the TV was left on.
The next day Tony awoke first, much to his surprise. He turned and gazed at a sleeping Clint, taking it in awe at his peaceful form. Wow, he's really handsome. No grins, no laughs, no smirks. Just… nothing. Tony thought, coming closer. He gently lifted a finger and traced his features.
Clint suddenly moved, surprising Tony. He slowly opened one eye and stared confusingly at the other man. "Is something wrong?" He asked.
Tony shook his head. "No, nothing. You just look different when you sleep.." he muttered, getting up from the couch and watching towards the kitchen.
Clint glanced around the room. "Did we sleep on the couch again?" He asked. Tony hummed in response. "Now I wonder why I still have my bed." He jokingly replied.
Clint chuckled, eyeing the time. "10:15, what time did Phil say we have to arrive?"
"Um, I think it was noon?" Tony replied, unsure.
Clint stood up from the couch, yawning. "Well I'll be taking a shower now. You don't have to make me breakfast if you're planning to." He said, earning a laugh from the other.
"I didn't plan on it, I'm not the best cook." Tony said, brewing his coffee.
Clint gave another chuckle as he walked towards the hallway. Tony frowned once he felt the door close, finally alone. He mindlessly walked over to the living room, plopping himself on the couch.
Tony slowly turned his gaze to a small photo frame, faced down on the shelf. He curiously walked over and picked it up, only to regret it.
It was a picture of Tony and Steve on their first date at a baseball game. The picture had Steve grinning proudly with his dodgers hat, one arm slung over him while the other was occupied in a #1 foam finger. Tony was grinning also, wearing glasses to be unrecognized as he gave a thumbs up.
Suddenly memories flooded to his mind, getting him teary eyed. That night Steve confessed and popped the question to be his boyfriend, which Tony gladly agreed to. It was the night Steve finally told Tony his true feelings.
Tony felt a tear roll down his cheek. "No no, don't do this Tony.." He said to himself, wiping the tear.
"You're not alone anymore, you'll be alright." He said, then glanced at a picture that he and Clint set on the shelf the day Clint moved in. It was them smiling towards the camera at a previous party, Clint grinning while he wrapped his arm around the other man's shoulder and held his drink high, making Tony laugh in the snapshot.
Tony smiled. "We'll be alright."
YOU WONT BE ALONE TONY. YOU WONT! I WONT LET YOU. Anyways hi ! C: Just wanted to say thanks to all who's now reading this new story and i also wanted to say i just really love tony whump. c: There's not enough fanfics of ironhawk and a cheating steve! and a cheating natasha. I'm just awesome. xD Anyways i just wanna say i hope that you all liked my chapter, and this story, and reviews are very much welcomed C: Until the next chapter! ~
